Business Briefs

Posted: Thursday, May 10, 2007

Chambers set schedules

· Nikiski Chamber of Commerce will meet at noon today at the Nikiski Community Recreation Center in the multipurpose room. Leigh Hagstrom-Sanger with the Nikiski Senior Citizens Center will speak. For more information, call Judene Van Cleave at 776-5551. Jennifer Beckman of CARTS will be the speaker May 17.

· The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce will meet at noon Tuesday at Froso’s in Soldotna. Heidi Franklin of Northern Dynasty will be the speaker. For more information, call Michelle at 262-9814.

· The Kenai Chamber of Commerce will meet at noon Wednesday at the Kenai Merit Inn in Kenai. Liane Pelletier of ACS will be the speaker. For more information, call Janie at 283-7989.

· The Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce will meet at noon Wednesday at the Anchor River Inn.

Horn, Fenske named to state health council

Gov. Sarah Palin announced Tuesday the appointment of 14 Alaskans to the Alaska Health Care Strategies Planning Council, including two from the Kenai Peninsula:

· Steve Horn of Soldotna, who is the executive director of the Alaska Behavioral Health Association whose members are the businesses that provide direct services to recipients of behavioral health services throughout the state. His previous experience includes being executive director of the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska and director of operations for the Cook Inlet Citizens Advisory Council. Horn earned a Bachelor and Master of Business Administration from the University of Alaska.

· Donna Fenske of Homer served the state of Alaska as a public health nurse from 1979 to 2004. Most recently she has provided community health aide services in Port Graham and Nanwalek clinics and provided nursing services to K-12 students in rural communities in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. She has written several publications, participated in research projects and is a guest lecturer. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Alaska (UAA) and is a recipient of the UAA Excellence in Nursing Award.

New boat gets special attention

Kenai Fjords Tours will introduce the newest member of its fleet, the m/v Aialik Voyager, to the public at a free open housefrom noon to 4:30 p.m. May 19 at the Seward Small Boat Harbor, Dock E, Slip 3. The open house is part of the Seward Harbor Opening Weekend events, which include tours of the 82.8-foot catamaran, refreshments and a chance to win a Kenai Fjords National Park tour. Marine biologist Carrie Newell also will be onboard signing her latest book about gray whales.

The m/v Aialik Voyager will be part of the annual Harbor Opening Boat Parade at 5 p.m.

Youth cooking classes offered

Pint Size Workshop cooking classes will be held at 10 a.m. Saturdays at Allen and Petersen Cooking and Appliance Center in Kenai.

Admission is two cans of food or a $2 donation to the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank. A parent must remain in the store during the 30-minute workshops.

Small business workshops offered

Kenai Peninsula Small Business Development Center will hold the following workshop at its office in the Red Diamond Center on Kalifornsky Beach Road:

· May 29  Budget and financial analysis will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. The cost is $15. Deadline to register is May 27.

For more information, call Bunny at 260-5629 or e-mail her at inblk@uaa.alaska.edu.

Crime Stoppers seeks support

The Central Peninsula Crime Stoppers board is seeking community support for its annual poster drive. With sponsorship from area businesses, the group each year publishes posters featuring the phone number of the local Crime Stoppers tip-line. The posters are displayed in businesses and public locations around the peninsula. Each poster also features replication of a business card representing each of 15 sponsors.

Businesses, groups or individuals wishing to sponsor posters can do so for a donation of $50 or more. The $50 fee will get their name on the poster. A $100 donation will sponsor 30 posters. Donations beyond the cost of publishing the posters will be used for payment of rewards for information that helps solve crimes on the peninsula.

Crime Stoppers has been active on the peninsula for more than 20 years and been instrumental in solving nearly 250 crimes ranging from murder and theft to narcotics. More than $200,000 worth of stolen property has been recovered locally, and more than $1.6 million in illegal drugs have been confiscated. Central Peninsula Crime Stoppers has paid out more than $16,000 in rewards.

To help sponsor a poster or for more information, call Susan Savely at 252-8890. Donations are tax deductible and also can be sent to Crime Stoppers, P.O. Box 1341, Kenai, AK 99611.